FA Cup Awards: Leeds win West Ham thriller, Classy Cherki | OneFootball

Our FA Cup Awards honour the best – and worst – of this weekend’s quarter-final action, featuring Leeds’ thrilling win at West Ham and Rayan Cherki.

Moment of the Week

It’s impossible not to start with the chaos that was West Ham vs Leeds United. The game looked like a routine win for Leeds, who controlled the contest at the London Stadium, holding a seemingly insurmountable two-goal lead as the game entered stoppage time.

A mammoth 11 minutes from the fourth official changed the mood, and West Ham were lifted. Mateus Fernandes pulled a goal back before Axel Disasi turned in a second to force extra time. Many West Ham fans had already headed for the exits, and several who had done so soon did a U-turn.

Extra time was no less chaotic. Twice, West Ham had goals disallowed in an end-to-end clash, before the Hammers were forced to bring on Fin Herrick for his debut in goal after Alphonse Areola was injured. The youngster saved the first spot-kick of the shootout and certainly did his bit to distract Leeds, but it was the visitors who held their nerve to reach Wembley.

A brilliant, brilliant FA Cup tie.

Player of the Week

Manchester City made light work of a lousy Liverpool in a statement win from Pep Guardiola’s side. Erling Haaland’s hat-trick hogged the headlines, but it was Rayan Cherki who was, arguably, the best player on the pitch.

The Frenchman is a fantastic watch and has been a real addition to English football this season. He taunted Liverpool with moments of close control and evasive footwork, and was involved in almost everything good from the Citizens. Liverpool couldn’t get near him.

Goal of the Week

Stop them if you can.

A fine flowing move from Manchester City took the game away from Liverpool on the stroke of half-time. The Cherki, Semenyo and Haaland combination is a serious proposition for teams to deal with.

Save of the Week

Mohamed Salah has been a thorn in the side of Manchester City for several seasons, but his final game against the club as a Liverpool player did not go as planned.

An awful afternoon saw a missed penalty as the low-light, but credit James Trafford for the save. The goalkeeper’s been handed a tough gig at Manchester City this season, but has proven his worth in cup competition.

Stat of the Week

Southampton have won the FA Cup just once in their entire history, back in 1976. At the time, the Saints upset the odds to win the competition as a second-tier team.

Unbeaten in 15 games after a stunning turnaround under Tonda Eckert, Southampton dumped out Premier League leaders Arsenal and have their sights set on a shock cup success again.

A week to forget for…

Arne Slot. Liverpool fans have a reputation for sticking with under-fire managers, but their exits en masse from the Etihad tells the story of their season so far.

Slot exceeded all expectations to win the Premier League last season, but his team is a shadow of that level now. Their defeat at Manchester City was limp and inexcusable, a 15th of the season in all competitions. The heat is firmly on, ahead of a daunting trip to PSG in midweek.

Read – FA Cup draw: Leeds to face Chelsea in first semi-final for 39 years

See more – Four heroes from the FA Cup quarter-final ties

Follow the Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube